27 mar 2013

Viking sword Spada vichinga documentary

The Viking sword, has something mysterious, ancestral, a sort of pagan power, while in fact the Vikings were the people most feared throughout Europe.

The Vikings have always been considered the barbarians, and certainly, their ways of doing things were not nice, but if we study well their ancestral culture, we can understand that the Vikings were not just brutes, but also very smart traders, in addition to being skilled sailors and they had become too technically advanced, given their swords..

Viking sword original

The Viking sword was the main type of sword used in North Western Europe during the Viking Age. Although called "Viking sword", this style of sword was not exclusively limited to Vikings and was used by other people.

Morphology

It was a development of the Roman spatha, evolving out of the Migration Period sword in the 8th century, and into the classical knightly sword in the 11th century with the emergence of larger cross-guards. Of particular note is the "Ulfberht" subset, which used steel of higher purity and carbon content than its peers in the region and was possibly imported in ingot form from the middle or far east.

Blade length varied from 28 to 33 inches.

Early examples have single, deep, wide fullers running the full length of the blade.

Later examples have multiple narrow fullers.

Viking sword historical

A fuller reduces the weight of the blade without compromising the strength. This weight reduction would allow the wielder to swing faster and harder strokes. Additionally, to be more useful against chain mail, the end of the blade was more tapered than its predecessors.

All have short single-handed hilts with pyramid, lobed or cocked-hat style pommels. Pommels were made of iron and were heavier than on the earlier Migration Period sword. They started to act as a counterweight to the blade.